Book Review: PMI-ACP® Exam Prep

I question the value of many certifications. I do not think a one or two-day course followed by a simple multiple-choice question exam certifies anything beyond a minimal knowledge of the subject. Even passing the PMP exam which was tough and required serious studying did not guarantee that I am a good project manager. So why carry many certifications?

Hiring managers and headhunters are looking for the certifications. At this point it does not matter whether the certifications make sense or not. If you ever look for a job it may help you pass the first filter. Sometimes a certification is a good incentive to get an all-round understanding of a new topic. And, in this case, I took the PMI-ACP as part of departmental policy.

To prepare for the exam I read the book PMI-ACP® Exam Prep by Mike Griffiths.

“PMI-ACP® Exam Prep” is focused on passing the exam, but I found it to be good refresher on some topics I had not encountered recently. I was also introduced to some agile approaches like Crystal I was not familiar with. The book is well written and contains enough references to good authors and books I have read that I feel confident the other references are likely to be worthwhile too. The question sections where an excellent preparation for PMI’s tricky exam questions.

Don’t expect a lot of new information. Most of agile is common sense. Reading the book, you will find some great nuggets and I also see some familiar concepts through a different lens. This book will not teach you how to become a good agilist but it will help you to pass the exam and it also collates a lot of ideas, quotes and factoids in one book.

The opinions represented in this blog are my own, and not that of my employer or the  organizations that I work with.